Vaccine 2021

COVID-19

The Pandemic of 2020

That time we all made history even though we didn't want to.

Don't care what you call it, the past year has been a wild one and something that we Longmires will certainly not forget.  Out of all the things I thought might happen to me and my family, living through a pandemic was most certainly not on that list.  But here we are, stronger, better, more intentional, and living through this time.

A year ago when stuff was really hitting the fan, people were dying, and life was systematically being shut down, I would have given my right arm, two thumbs, and a leg to not have to go through what we went through. It was scary and frustrating and so far from anything we were prepared for.  But lets face it, raging pandemics rarely are. 

Thankfully my immediate family has never gotten sick with COVID-19.  My parents both had it and as Mom told me in the throws of it, "I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy!." I am deeply grateful that we have remained healthy.  It has been hard to wrap my own mind around the death toll and suffering when we have been so limitedly impacted.  That said.  People are still dying and dealing with the hard hitting reality of a virus that just won't quit.

I will admit to being skeptical of the vaccine as it was pushed through and seemed to come on the market in short order.  I, like many, had all of the feelings of fear, mixed with uncertainty, mixed with self protection, mixed with a little bit of ignorance.  When information comes from all sources, there truly is rarely a time when you actually spend time thinking for your self.  So I was thrust into that very inner conversation when the opportunity to get the vaccine arrived in the form of volunteering with my Mother-in-Law who was (understandably) anxious to get the vaccine herself.  Being in a higher risk category I fully understood her desire and decided to be her + one for volunteering.

Volunteering was a deeply impacting experience.  There are hundreds and thousands of healthcare workers who have been on the frontlines, every day, every night, working hard to save lives.  We as non healthcare workers DO NOT understand the toll this has taken and the hours and days of sleepless nights, exhausting worry, layers of PPE, and still being powerless to stop the death.  They have seen it.  Every day for the past year.  Now their efforts are in full swing vaccination mode and there are some workers who have been working 7 days a week at the vaccine POD.  It was eye opening and assuaged the final niggling fear I may have had for choosing to be vaccinated.  These people need to go home.  They need a break. 

Volunteering was a long and arduous day, but so worth it, and Grandma and I got our first dose of the vaccine.

Three weeks later we volunteered at a different POD, and received our second dose. The second POD had a very strict NO PHOTOGRAPHY policy so I have no pictures, but it was another great experience meeting the people on the forefront of this pandemic and partnering in a very small way to make their job a little bit easier.

I want this pandemic to be over.  I want people to get back to their jobs and be able to support their families again.  I want kids to get back to school without masks and plexiglass dividers.  I want people to stop dying of this virus.  I am deeply grateful for the chance to do my part to change the trajectory of this thing.
 

Here is to brighter days tomorrow!